Posts tagged: channel

Mar 13

2013

Cisco Takes Collaboration To The Cloud

One of the most intriguing qualities of cloud, in my opinion, is its ability to add value to already useful technology solutions. For example, telepresence has taken conference calls into the future, fueling face-to-face collaboration, cutting business costs, and empowering more closely knit teams – despite distance. For Cisco, the cloud helped turn a turnkey […]

Feb 27

2013

Agentless Security Next Step For Cloud

What, you’ve never heard of it? Well, neither had I until I read this article in CloudTweaks. According to the piece, agentless security is a “dynamic security solution that harnesses the power of cloud technology to monitor computers and smart devices without the aid of a physical agent or deployable monitoring protocol.” OK, that makes […]

Feb 26

2013

Confused About What Cloud Solutions Are Right For Your IT Business?

I talk to a lot of solution providers in the course of my responsibilities as a blogger, and one common issue that comes up is frustration about all the multitude of cloud solutions available. So here is my answer: the fourth annual Ingram Micro Cloud Summit has your answers. I’ve talked the last couple weeks […]

Feb 21

2013

Payment Card Industry Council Addresses the Cloud

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council has finally released an updated set of security guidelines for merchants, this one addressing the role and use of cloud. When PCI requirements were first unveiled, cloud service providers (CSP) weren’t on anyone’s radar. The guidelines were intended for merchant data centers, but as those data repositories […]

One of the common complaints from solution providers struggling to launch a cloud strategy is the overwhelming number of vendors and solutions on the market. They are stymied by the number, and don’t have the resources to evaluate and test all those options. Well, never fear – Ingram Micro Cloud Summit can be the answer […]

Feb 15

2013

2013 – Year of the Bundle

As cloud offerings mature, the approach to selling those solutions is expected to evolve as well. Last week I had the opportunity to talk about that evolution with Paul Hoffmann, senior director, technology and cloud solutions, for Ingram Micro’s cloud team. He shared an interesting approach to cloud sales that his team expects to gain […]

Feb 14

2013

Romance Between Pizza and the Cloud

While it is based on information from the United Kingdom, I found this article on how Domino’s Pizza is leveraging the cloud interesting. According to this story, the famous pizza franchise gets about 50% of its orders online – and about 20% of those orders come from smartphones – so when its CIO spoke to […]

Feb 13

2013

Got Big Data (experts)?

If you are looking for an adjacent competency to add to your line card, especially one that fits with your cloud strategy, start considering a Big Data expert. And consider it soon … because according to Gartner, the demand for Big Data specialists is on the rise. Let’s be honest, finding someone with the skills […]

Feb 12

2013

Breaking News: Integrating Cloud Is Hard

I am fascinating by the ongoing premise that cloud is easy, and hybrid cloud is easier. Early on in the cloud conversation, there was much wringing of hands as the channel fretted about cloud being a technology innovation that squeezed out solution providers. I think that concern fell aside fairly quickly, but now and then, […]

ALERT: Are you taking advantage of bad weather to stand out with your customers?

I’ll start by admitting that this blog isn’t about cloud. It’s about using bad weather to cement your role as your customer’s virtual CIO, courtesy of an example provided by Jenaly Technology’s president, MJ Shoer. Now, most MSPs in the channel have probably met MJ, he’s highly involved in the managed service community and always […]